Supporting structure for ceilings of buildings



1962 G. T. PI-IILLIPs 3,058,172

SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR CEILINGS OF BUILDINGS Filed Jan. 6, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l In 5 i INVENTOR "l GEORGE T. PHILLIPS f ;mYMQ

H IS ATTORNEYS Oct. 16, 1962 G. T. PHILLIPS 3,058,172

SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR CEILINGS OF BUILDINGS Filed Jan. 6, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 zmm 2 9 FIGZ.

I I I i I l I l INVENTOR GEORGE T. PHILLIPS M 5%. MTM

H IS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,058,172 SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR CEILINGS F BUILDINGS George T. Phillips, Box 283, Bedford, NY. Filed Jan. 6, 1959, Ser. No. 785,226 4 Claims. ((31. 4)

This invention relates to building structures and it relates particularly to improvements in ceilings for buildings, houses and similar structures.

Acoustic insulating or decorative tiles and sheets are widely used as ceiling coverings in many types of buildings. It is common to mount on or affix to the real ceilings of the rooms of the buildings, furring strips or furring runners to which the tiles or sheets are secured by suitable clips, clip splines, staples or the like. Frequently such suspended ceilings are installed to form plenum chambers for receiving air-conditioning or heating ducts, wiring or the like. Where the suspended ceilings are formed of acoustic tile and extend from wall to wall of a room, they provide excellent acoustic insulation. However, when a room or space having such a suspended ceiling is divided into smaller compartments or cubicles by means of partitions that extend only from the floor to the suspended ceiling, a peculiar effect sometimes is observed. While the sound originating in a particular compartment or cubicle is appreciably deadened by the presence of the suspended ceiling, sounds which originate in other cubicles can be heard quite plainly. Investigation of this eflect or phenomenon shows that the sound passes through the low density tile or sheet of the suspended ceiling, travels along the space between the suspended and the real ceilings and then enters other cubicles through the tile or sheet above such cubicles. Thus, instead of serving as a sound deadening or insulating medium, the sheets or tiles and the perforations or voids therein may actually form sound transmitting paths.

Prior suspended ceilings formed of decorative or acoustic tile or board are not very fire resistant and in the case of fire, the heat and flames may burn through the suspended ceiling or enter between the edges of the sheets or tiles thereby damaging or weakening the furring strips or runners so that the suspended ceiling falls.

In accordance with the present invention, a ceiling structure is provided which overcomes the above noted disadvantages of the prior suspended ceilings. More particularly, in accordance with the present invention, sheets of dense materal are affixed to the building structure to form a suspended ceiling defining a plenum chamber between the real ceiling and the suspended ceiling. Acuostic and/or decorative tiles or boards are aflixed to the building structure and disposed against the under surface or surfaces of suspended ceiling. The sheets of dense material may be wallboard of the asbestos or fiber type which is of such dimensions that it abuts tightly against the suspension structure supporting the sheets and forms a heat resistant and sound retarding cover for it. Inasmuch as the shielding is of dense material, any sounds which might tend to pass through the openings or voids in the less dense acoustic or decorative tiles or sheets are eifectively blocked by the overlying cover sheets. Likewise passage of flames or heat through or between the edges of the less dense tiles or sheets also is blocked by the denser cover sheets so that the suspension structure for the sheets and the real ceiling of the room or building are protected.

The invention is adaptable to use with either the conventional non-metallic decorative or acoustic tile or board or with metallic acoustic tiles of the type in which the base or major portion thereof is formed of perforated metal and is adapted to receive a layer of a sound insulating fibrous material. The use of a protective upper imperforate sheet with such a metallic tile aids in retaining the sound insulating material in the tile and thereby assures sound and heat insulation throughout the entire extent of the ceiling.

For a better understanding of the present invention:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a section of a typical suspended ceiling structure with a C-clip for use therewith shown detached from the furring runner;

FIGURE 2 is a view in cross-section taken on line 2 2 of FIGURE 1 and;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of a modified type of acoustic ceiling embodying the invention and utilizing metallic acoustic tiles.

The invention will be described with reference to its use with metallic furring runners and other conventional elements for supporting acoustic tiles or sheets on the building. As illustrated in FIGURE 1, a typical furring runner 10 includes a base having edge flanges 12 and 13 which may be secured to conventional structural elements A supported from the ceiling of a building. Spaced sidewalls 14 and 15 converge downwardly from the flanges 12 and 13 and are bent inwardly and then outwardly to form inwardly extending flanges 16 and 17 which define a slot 18 between them and outwardly extending bottom flanges 19 and 20.

The acoustic or decorative tiles or sheets referred to generically hereinafter as tiles may be formed of a vegetable or mineral fiber and provided with a multiplicity of voids, holes or perforations extending through or partially through the tiles which impart sound deadening properties to the tiles. The edges of the tiles 21 illustrated in the drawings arep rovided with grooves 22 to receive C-clips 23 or clip splines 24. As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, a C-clip 23 may consist of a sheet of metal which is bent along its center line to form the upright 25 of the T and then bent at right angles to form flanges 26, 27 which are adapted to engage in the slots 22 in the tiles. The opposite sides of the upright 25 are provided with struck out tongues 28 which anchor the C-clip 23 in the furring runner 10 when the upright 25 is forced into the slot 18.

A typical clip spline 24 which is adapted to extend at right angles to the furring runner 10 includes a pair of laterally directed edge flanges 29, 30, upright rib 31 and end flanges 32 at opposite ends which are also provided with struck out tongues 33 to engage in the slots 18 of adjacent furring runners and thereby lock the clip spline in position. It will be understood that the clip splines 24 span the space between adjacent parallel furring runners 10 with their edge flanges 29, 30 engaging the slots 22 of adjacent tiles 21.

The provision of slots 22 in the edges of the tiles 21 enables them to be mounted in spaced relation to the undersurfaces of the flanges 18 and 19' of the furring runners 10.

In accordance with the present invention, sheets of imperforate wall or insulating board 34 are secured to the furring runners "10 prior to installation of the ceiling tiles 21. The insulating board 34 is formed of much denser and sturdier material than the tiles 21 and is secured to the furring runners 10 by means of clip splines 35 and 'c-clips (not shown) similar to the clip splines 24 and C-clips 23. The dimensions of the clip splines 35 and associated C-clips are such as to hold the sheets 34 against the undersurface of the furring runners 10 and thereby form, in effect, a continuous suspended ceiling independently of the tiles 21. The joints between the edges of the sheets 34 may be covered with tape 36 to render the ceiling formed of the sheets 34 substantially continuous. After installation of the dense sheets 34, the tiles 21 can be installed. The upper ends of the T splines 24 and C-clips 23 are pushed through the tapes 36 to engage in the furring runners 10, the lengths of the uprights 25 and 32 being appropriate to bring the tiles 21 against the undersurfaces of the sheets 34. Inasmuch as the flanges 26, 27 on the C-clip and the flanges 29 and '30 on the T splines 24 are covered by the tiles 21, no gaps remain through which-sound can enter the space between the true ceiling and the suspended ceiling. Moreover, almost complete shielding of the C-clip, T splines and the furring runners is achieved by the denser sheets so that the fire resistance of the ceiling is greatly prolonged as compared with prior structures.

It will be understood that the edges of the suspended ceiling can be finished off in any conventional way, for example, by means ,of the wall channels B slidably receiving the edges of the outermost sheets 34 and tiles 21 and containing springs C urging the channels against the walls of ,the room. Such channels and springs are conventional.

Advantages other than those described above also are derived from ceilingconstructions of thetype described. Inasmuch as the sheets 34 provide a strong continuous ceiling structure, the weaker and less dense ceiling tiles are reinforced thereby and rendered less susceptible to damage by impact. Moreover, the sheets 34 afford a backing which enables the tiles 21 to be removed and replaced readily if required.

The invention is also applicable to use With metallic files 39 of the type shown in FIGURE 3. These tiles include a pan or tray-like structure 40 formed of sheet metal having a peripheral rim 41 and upwardly extending tongues 42 spaced around their peripheries and having struck out tongues 43 for engagement in the slots 18' of the furring runners The bottoms of the tiles 39 are provided with sound dampening perforations 44 and they are also filled with a layer or pad of fibrous material 45 which enhances the sound deadening effect of the tiles. Sheets of insulating board 34' corresponding to the sheets34 shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 are secured to the runners 10 and are engaged by the peripheral rim to suspendedceilings formed of decorative sheets and tiles as Well as the acoustic tiles and sheets and accordingly, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to other uses and to other structural modifications than'those described herein. Accordingly, the forms of the invention described herein should be considered as illustrative.

I claim:

1. An acoustic ceiling comprising a building ceiling, a plurality of metallic furring runners suspended from said ceiling and having under surfaces spaced from said ceiling, each runner having substantially horizontal flanges thereon and a downwardly opening slot between said flanges, supporting elements having edge flanges and portions extending upwardly into said slots and connected thereby to said runners, imperforate sheets mounted on said edge flanges of said supporting elements and held thereby against said flanges of said runners, other supporting elements extending upwardly between said sheets and connected to said runners and acoustic tiles attached to said other supporting elements and held thereby adjacent to' and covering the under surfaces of said imperforate sheets. i

2. The ceiling set forth in claim 1 in which said tiles are formed of perforated sheet metal and said other supporting elements are integral with said tiles.

3. The ceiling set forth in claim 1 in which said tiles have slots in their edges and said other supporting elements comprise clips having lateral projections engaging in said edge slots and shanks engaging in runner slots.

4. The ceiling set forth in claim 1 in which said tiles are pan-like members having said holes in their hottoms and said other supporting elements around their edges, and fire-resistant and sound-retarding material between said pan-like member and said imperforate sheet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,014,749 Smith Sept. 17, 1935 2,059,483" Parsons Nov .3, 1936 2,071,865 Parsons Feb. 23, 1937 2,219,440 Burgess Oct. 29, 1940 2,221,001 Lucius Nov. 12, 1940 2,242,834 Price May 20, 1941 2,309,695 Droeger Feb. 2, 1943 2,447,694 Finch Aug. 24, 1948 2,486,563 Jorgensen Nov. 1, 1949 2,785,099 Holtsford Mar. 12, 1957 2,800,308 Parkinson July 23, 1957 

